Eugene Kane was a retired columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who passed away in April 2020 at 63 years old. Kane grew up near Temple University’s North Philadelphia campus. He attended Temple part-time as a journalism major with a minor in Black studies while working full-time. During his senior year, he was a freelance writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, always keeping his goal of professional journalism in sight.
After graduating, Kane participated in the Maynard Institute Summer Program for Minority Journalists and was placed at the Journal Sentinel upon completion of the program. There, he became a Milwaukee fixture with his popular Journal Sentinel column “Raising Kane.” The column unapologetically challenged authority by examining race issues of local and national importance and received several journalism honors including a National Association of Black Journalists award for Best Commentary, two National Headliner awards for Best Local Column and a Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for Best General Column. He also received a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford with the Class of 1993.
Funny, courageous and insightful, Eugene Kane embodied Temple’s motto “Perseverance Conquers.”